I certainly need to get in the swing of the digital download service as today we had orders for 18 films all digital. As time goes by and more and more get digitised the whole process will be quicker. At present without super hi speed speeds I'd be lost, mornings are by far the quickest speeds though and loading them on to Drop box is the most time consuming task. As I've done them I'll take the opportunity of adding a water mark and put them on Youtube. Today I was down in Shrewsbury with Peter our OTA sec, pleasant lunch at the Abbey pub. Lots of stuff happening and I've been so very busy. Its only just over a week to our holiday in Dominican Republic, just ready for some heat. I've got two one day trips planned plus a three night stay in capital Santo Domingo. Hoping for plenty of truck action. So staying with hot countries here are some 2024 memories from Senegal There was a good turnout out in South West Birmingham this afternoon for the funeral of preservationist, author , poet and eccentric Roger De Boer. I suppose all of us engaged in our love of transport could be seen as slightly eccentric and what a splendid attribute to an Englishman than to be exactly that with a dash of Dutch to give a little mystery. His cousins from the Netherlands came over as did his English cousin and her family. Enthusiasts were represented by Dave Spencer for the OTA and a volunteer from Wythall where the milk and bakers floats are preserved. Thankfully having been a member of his local parish church they gathered to pay Roger his due as a member of heir church family. Roger eschewed norms of cleanliness and good housekeeping and asked his carers nothing more than a chat and certainly not cleaning. As a diabetic already losing a leg there was nothing to eat but chocolate when we last visited. Found in the hallway several days after passing away another of life characters was gone. He was proud of his dads maritime and Dutch connection and his grand fathers home in Ameland of which he had published one of his pamphlets on its transport. He loved going to Malta in the 1970s and in the 1980's paid several visits to the USSR. We were fortunate in saving his cine collection for posterity with the Online Film Archive and are trying along with Wythall to ensure his collections find safe homes before the RNLI the benefactors in his will send in the house clearance brigade to do their work. Somewhere in the garden are motorcycles and bicycles plus all manner of other objects secreted about the grounds, even the floor boards are between the renewed joists packed with equipment which is ready for reuse at any time.
Well a super day at Liverpool, saw some of our NWVRT regulars and lots of waves from all the drivers, a very friendly morning and a little bit misty but not freezing, no wind and no rain so for January it is hard to beat. Saw a few in the new Metro livery Arriva and Stagecoach. Busy now getting it edited. Roger De Boer's funeral South Birmingham tomorrow, weather permitting at Shrewsbury for monthly meeting with Peter Waller on Friday.
I was a little bit worried about the 30 pages of instructions for the cine camera I'd got of EBay but it is in very good condition and I managed to get the conversion done from Super8 to Std8 , not just a click of a switch but new rollers and gate. There was no lamp but I've got two on the way. So I got the leader tape through no problems, ready to run with the sound and get it digitised to marry up with the pictures. I've got a few more video reels digitised ready for storage at OTA and sound clips on the Youtube channel. I'll try and get another one of the old Online programmes on the OTS Youtube channel this week. I'm filming in Liverpool tomorrow, outlook zero wind or rain, just cold and light cloud, lets hope they are right. So with Liverpool in mind lets throw back the years to a previous visit in my archive. Although it rained throughout my second visit to Leeds there was plenty about to get the required footage although it is rather sad that there is almost no trace of a rush hour and enhanced services, they are just much reduced at all times. After Leeds I tried to achieve something at Halifax but the whole road work maze around the bus station has pretty well killed any chance of getting shots at all , I got some awful aggro getting from the car park to the bus station, it is possible I might add Halifax to my no go zones with Loughborough. Anyway a few shots to keep us going. As well as loading an amazing selection of films on Youtube today I'm also getting ready for the next big photo trips to Dominican Republic and Bangladesh. I have a three day breakaway from the girls plus 2 one day excursions in my plan in DR. For Bangladesh I have our guide of previous days for the time spent in Dhaka but I am making a large circuit to take in all cities reported to be running double deckers and all but two have busy railways as well. There will be two train trips, two car trips and 2 flights ( internal). Nearer home I shall finish off the filming of Leeds and fingers crossed get Halifax in the can which I missed last year. I'm ready now to put our friend Tim Murrays scan on to the editing suite and hoping the 'new' projector arrives tomorrow and I can marry up the sound and picture. If I had the heavy duty scanner I could achieve both with machines upwards of £60k -100k. So with Halifax in mind lets go there and look at a previous visit to West Yorkshire. I think I've been doing the balancing act today with the plates atop a pole hoping that it all doesn't collapse to the ground. Rather satisfying that productivity is high with 5 jobs on the go at a time. The Stoke film is edited just need to add a DVD cover. Lots my Youtube in the pipeline and a great variety at that. Meanwhile back to the good old Belfast photos from 1979-83
I've repeated this over and over, I do not use 'messenger' as appears to be linked to Facebook. My Facebook blogs are just copies of the daily ( ish) posts I put on my own website which people can view on my website or the Facebook copy. I find the idea of thousands of people demanding my attention if I look at Facebook is very intrusive. I am widely available on email and if it is urgent by land line. I only turn my mobile on to keep in touch with Mandy. It was good to have a few hours at Hanley although I did get threatened by a BMW car load who parked on the disable spots by the old library. I am unable to say much about them or I'll get locked up under Keir Stomers political correctness squad! Anyway great lads and lasses on the buses and a chance to 'admire' the new First group logo, exciting isn't it, hmmm. I hope to film in Stoke tomorrow and then finish off Leeds on Monday with another visit for buses next Wednesday although of course things do change. Progress on many fronts, utter failure on others. As promised some more of my Belfast pictures from troubled times but never was I once disturbed on my travels 1979-84.
I'm hoping to get out and about with the camera tomorrow so fingers crossed on that. We had a few domestic chores to do including setting up car service while we are away. Along line it is worth mentioning that we are away most of February, last orders posted out Friday 31st January and re open on Friday 21st Feb. Meanwhile some stills from the abortive Leeds trip on Wednesday then coming on the next post more of the Belfast scenes. |
PMP Sponsors the North West Vehicle Restoration Trust at Kirkby.
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